Eco's Within and Without

The famous Belgian waffle. Treat from Ganda. Hi, dear GoSolo traveler! This complements my blog about my adventures to the UK. I received my passport with approved visit visa more than two months before my departure to the UK. While waiting for my travel date, a “what if” question suddenly came to mind, “What if, I will make a side trip to Europe while in England?” After much consideration, my GoSolo mindset 'unanimously' answered, YES!  Filipino passport holders still need to apply for a separate visa to Europe even if they have a visa to the UK.  What I did first is to search the internet for blogs about traveling to Europe. There are many of them out there and this blog adds to their number. I hope the information here can complement the existing ones and help you prepare for your Schengen visa application. The following are the steps I did: 1. Choose a country in EU where you want to enter and apply for a visa there. Although it is in that speci...

It was summer in Indonesia and it was sizzling hot! Well, this is understood because this country touches the equator. Water entertainment facilities here seem to be a lucrative business. Despite the busy schedule for graduation preparation, my co-teachers still got the chance to go to Labersa Water Park – a famous water fun facility here in Pekanbaru, Sumatra Island. There were seven of us and two are mothers who brought their kids. In spite of our dissimilar status, we believe that we can have fun together. I have been to a lot of water facilities but that was my first time to go to a public water facility here in Indonesia so I felt extremely excited to see the place. The climate also added to my eagerness to see it and the chance to temporarily escape from the year-round hectic schedule. We arrived at the place as scheduled and yeah, it was really beautiful. It has many pool areas – for kids, teens, and adults. It has also four kinds of roller-coaster-style slides with var...

A shot in front of Air Asia airplane Travelling is indeed a learning experience. Such experience will bring one to a broader perspective of his/ her world. After ten long months of “confinement” in Indonesia, I had reached an opportunity to be back to the Philippines through a two-week off from work. We Filipino teachers from our school are fortunate enough to have this brief break every year with free tickets and airport terminal fees (free for OFWs).    Previously, the usual route of our journey in coming back to or going out of Pekanbaru in Sumatra Island is via Singapore but this time, our employer allowed us to exit and enter the city via Kuala Lumpur. From Sultan Sharif Kasim II International Airport, Pekanbaru, Riau, Sumatra Island, the flight is approximately 45 minutes but the plane usually arrives at the destination 15 minutes earlier. My eyes were dazzling with amazement the first time I saw the airport and smelled the air in Kuala Lumpur.  Th...

I am writing this blog for fellow Pinoys who are applying for a standard visit visa from the Philippines to the United Kingdom. I applied for this visa in 2017.  With the previous experiences of visa denials for UK student visa, I decided to go DIY in the new application. The British Embassy Manila  and VFS Global Philippines  are helpful guides.  Below are the different steps I went through in the application. Finally reunited with mom in the UK 1. Chose a visa type. Filipino passport holders need to apply for a visa before flying to the UK. The name of the visa I am applying is  Standard Visitors visa . The information guide states what a visitor can and cannot do under this visa. So that you can avoid violating the laws there you must observe not to do the prohibited activities. The earliest time for the embassy to accept an application is 3 months before your intended travel. In my case, I intended to travel on December 20 so I...

From 3 July 2012 to 5 July 2012 From the Philippines, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on the 3 rd  of July 2012 at 00.15. I first had a money change of 100 USD which is equivalent to 300 MYR. I immediately traveled from the old KLIA airport to KL Sentral, at the heart of Kuala Lumpur, at 2:35. The bus fare is 8 MYR. I arrived in KL Sentral at 3:35 and immediately ate McChicken with coffee (10.20 MYR).  I could not buy train tickets immediately because the ticket booth still opens at 6:45.  Departure from KL I patiently waited until I was able to see the booth open for ticket purchase. Once it opened, the transaction went smooth. I have no difficulty placing my ticket orders with the tellers as we both understand English. I was able to tell the itinerary plan and they gave me the ticket for such a plan. I got my travel tickets at 6:55. My itinerary is from KL to Butterworth at 34 MYR and from Butterworth to Bangkok at 103 MYR. The teller told me that the...